Leonidas In The Odyssey: Frank Miller And Herodous

Frank Miller and Herodotus depict Leonidas in vastly different ways. In the graphic novel 300, Frank Miller depicts Leonidas as a demi-god or superhero like figure that commits amazing feats in battle and overshadows all other Spartans. He is the ultimate leader and is the key player in the Battle of Thermopylae. While Herodotus, in his Histories, characterizes Leonidas as a respected warrior and leader. Herodotus also only mentions Leonidas sparsely throughout his account of the battle. The role Leonidas plays shifts drastically between the two accounts. In 300, Leonidas in many ways is like Batman, a popular icon in the comic book media and a character Frank Miller’s written stories for in the past. They both are examples of the ultimate

Miller illustrates the separation both visually and textually. Several times Leonidas refers to the other Spartans as “children.” Once in the beginning when he is telling the Spartans to be quite and go to sleep and another is when the Spartans start attacking the Persian Messengers, “The children frolic.” Leonidas in like a parent to the other Spartans. He is watching over them and guiding them. He is their parent, King and leader, thus he must stand above them and apart. A visual form of separation is that throughout the graphic novel Leonidas is in the foreground alone, while the other Spartans are in the background. Like at the beginning of chapter 2, when Leonidas is walking towards the audience while all the Spartans are sleeping behind him. Another way Miller illustrates separation is that Leonidas will be a silhouette; where as all the other characters are drawn with light shining on them. Such is the case when Leonidas is talking to his advisors before going to war. One key reason Leonidas is the only individual isolated from the Spartans is that the audience needs a hero to love. Frank Miller’s 300 was ultimately a piece of entertainment and without a likable main character no one would be interested in reading his story. Heroes are found throughout society, whether it is storybook characters, celebrities, or sports stars. Heroes inspire us because they show us the impossible. They are always struggling and overcoming everything, encouraging us to believe we will overcome whatever we face. Heroes are symbols for all the qualities we want to posses. The individuality of Leonidas is the antithesis of historical Spartan